NANCY PATRICIA D\'ALESANDRO PELOSI (/pəˈloʊsi/ ; born March 26,
1940) is an American politician who currently serves as the Minority
Leader of the
United States House of Representatives , representing
CaliforniaCalifornia 's 12th congressional district . She previously served as
the 52nd House Speaker from 2007 to 2011, the only woman to do so. As
Speaker, she attained the highest rank of any female politician in
American history.

A member of the Democratic Party , Pelosi represents California\'s
12th congressional district , which consists of four-fifths of the
city and county of
San FranciscoSan Francisco . The district was numbered as the
5th during her first three terms in the House, and as the 8th from
1993 to 2013. She served as the
House Minority WhipHouse Minority Whip from 2002 to 2003,
and was House
Minority LeaderMinority Leader from 2003 to 2007, holding the post
during the 108th and 109th Congresses alongside President George W.
Bush . Pelosi is the first woman, the first Californian, and first
Italian-American to lead a major party in Congress. After the
Democrats took control of the House in 2007 and increased their
majority in 2009, Pelosi was elected Speaker of the House for the
110th and 111th Congresses alongside Presidents Bush and Barack Obama
.

Pelosi is Italian-American. She is the youngest of six children of
Annunciata M. "Nancy" (née Lombardi), who was born in
CampobassoCampobasso ,
South Italy , on 25 March 1909, and Thomas D\'Alesandro, Jr. , who was
a Democratic party U.S. Congressman from
MarylandMaryland and a Mayor of
BaltimoreBaltimore . Pelosi's brother, Thomas D\'Alesandro III , also a
Democrat, was mayor of
BaltimoreBaltimore from 1967 to 1971, when he chose not
to run for re-election.

Pelosi was involved with politics from an early age. In her outgoing
remarks as the 60th Speaker of the House, Pelosi said that she had
been present at
John F. Kennedy 's inaugural address as President in
January 1961. She graduated from the
Institute of Notre Dame , a
Catholic all-girls high school in Baltimore, and from Trinity College
(now
Trinity Washington University ) in Washington, D.C., in 1962 with
a B.A. in political science . Pelosi interned for Senator Daniel
Brewster (D-Maryland) alongside future
House Majority LeaderHouse Majority Leader Steny
Hoyer . She met Paul Frank Pelosi (b. April 15, 1940, in San
Francisco) while she was attending Trinity College. They married in
BaltimoreBaltimore at the
Cathedral of Mary Our Queen on September 7, 1963.
After the couple married, they moved to New York, and then to San
Francisco in 1969, where Mr. Pelosi's brother, Ronald Pelosi , was a
member of the City and County of
San FranciscoSan Francisco 's Board of Supervisors
.

After moving to San Francisco, Pelosi worked her way up in Democratic
politics. She became a friend of one of the leaders of the California
Democratic Party, 5th District Congressman
Phillip Burton .

Pelosi was appointed Finance Chair of the Democratic Senatorial
Campaign Committee , the campaign arm of the
U.S. Senate Democrats, in
1985. That same year, she ran to succeed
Chuck Manatt as chair of the
Democratic National Committee, but lost to then-DNC Treasurer Paul G.
Kirk . Pelosi left her post as DSCC finance chair in 1986.

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

ELECTIONS

An early congressional photo of Pelosi taken in 1993.

Phillip Burton died in 1983 and was succeeded by his wife, Sala . In
late 1986, Sala became ill with cancer and decided not to run for
reelection in 1988. She picked Pelosi as her designated successor,
guaranteeing her the support of the Burtons' contacts. Sala died on
February 1, 1987, just a month after being sworn in for a second full
term. Pelosi won the special election to succeed her, narrowly
defeating
San FranciscoSan Francisco Supervisor
Harry Britt on April 7, 1987, then
easily defeating Republican candidate Harriet Ross on June 2, 1987;
Pelosi took office a week later.

Pelosi represents one of the safest Democratic districts in the
country. Democrats have held the seat since 1949 and Republicans , who
currently make up only 13 percent of registered voters in the
district, have not made a serious bid for the seat since the early
1960s. She won the seat in her own right in 1988 and has been
reelected 10 more times with no substantive opposition, winning by an
average of 80 percent of the vote. She has not participated in
candidates' debates since her 1987 race against Harriet Ross. The
strongest challenge Pelosi has faced was in 2016 when Preston Picus
polled 19.1% and Pelosi won with 80.9%.

For the 2000 and 2002 election cycles, she held the distinction of
contributing the most among members of Congress to other congressional
campaigns, in part because she is in a safe district and does not need
the campaign funds.

COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS

In the House, she served on the Appropriations and Intelligence
Committees, and was the ranking Democrat on the Intelligence Committee
until her election as Minority Leader.

In 2002, after Gephardt resigned as minority leader to seek the
Democratic nomination in the 2004 presidential election , Pelosi was
elected to replace him, becoming the first woman to lead a major party
in the House.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE

Nomination

In the 2006 Midterm Elections , the Democrats took control of the
House by picking up 31 seats. On November 16, 2006, Pelosi was
unanimously chosen by her caucus as the Democratic candidate for
Speaker, effectively making her Speaker-elect. While the Speaker is
elected by the full House membership, in modern practice the election
is a formality, since the Speaker always comes from the majority
party.

On January 3, Pelosi defeated Republican
John Boehner of
OhioOhio with
233 votes compared to his 202 votes in the election for Speaker of the
House. She was nominated by
Rahm Emanuel of
IllinoisIllinois , the incoming
chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, and sworn in by her longtime
friend
John Dingell of
MichiganMichigan as the Dean of the House of
Representatives traditionally does. Pelosi (right) with Vice
President
Dick CheneyDick Cheney behind President
George W. Bush at the 2007
State of the Union Address making history as the first woman to sit
behind the podium at such an address. President Bush acknowledged this
by beginning his speech with the words, "Tonight, I have a high
privilege and distinct honor of my own – as the first President to
begin the State of the Union message with these words: Madam Speaker".

With her election, Pelosi became the first woman, the first
Californian, and the first Italian-American to hold the Speakership.
She is also the second Speaker from a state west of the Rocky
Mountains . The first was Washington 's
Tom Foley , the last Democrat
to hold the post before Pelosi.

During her speech, she discussed the historical importance of being
the first female to hold the position of Speaker:

This is a historic moment – for the Congress, and for the women of
this country. It is a moment for which we have waited more than 200
years. Never losing faith, we waited through the many years of
struggle to achieve our rights. But women weren't just waiting; women
were working. Never losing faith, we worked to redeem the promise of
America, that all men and women are created equal. For our daughters
and granddaughters, today, we have broken the marble ceiling . For our
daughters and our granddaughters, the sky is the limit, anything is
possible for them.

She also spoke on Iraq as the major issue facing the 110th Congress,
while incorporating some Democratic Party beliefs:

The election of 2006 was a call to change – not merely to change
the control of Congress, but for a new direction for our country.
Nowhere were the American people more clear about the need for a new
direction than in Iraq. The American people rejected an open-ended
obligation to a war without end.

Tenure

As Speaker, Pelosi was still the leader of the House Democrats; the
Speaker is considered to be the leader of his or her House caucus.
However, by tradition, she did not normally participate in debate and
almost never voted on the floor (though she had every right to as a
full House member). She was also not a member of any House committees.

Pelosi was re-elected Speaker in 2009.

A
CBS News poll conducted in March 2010 found that 37% of registered
voters have an unfavorable opinion of the speaker, with 11% approving.
According to a March 2010 Rasmussen poll, 64% of voters nationally
view the speaker unfavorably, and 29% have a favorable opinion of
Pelosi. Social Security Mandate

Shortly after winning re-election, President
George W. Bush claimed a
mandate for an ambitious second-term agenda and proposed reforming
Social Security by allowing workers to redirect a portion of their
Social Security withholding into stock and bond investments. Pelosi
strongly opposed the plan, saying there was no crisis, and as minority
leader she imposed intense party discipline on her caucus, leading
them to near-unanimous opposition to Bush's proposal, and subsequent
defeat of the proposed plan. Blocking of impeachment proceedings
against President Bush

In the wake of President George W. Bush's reelection in 2004, several
leading House Democrats believed that Democrats should pursue
impeachment proceedings against the president . They asserted that
Bush had misled Congress about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq ,
and had violated the civil liberties of Americans by authorizing
wiretaps without a warrant .

In May 2006, with an eye on the upcoming congressional
elections–which offered the possibility of Democrats taking back
control of the House for the first time since 1994–Pelosi told
colleagues that, while the Democrats would conduct vigorous oversight
of Bush administration policy, an impeachment investigation was "off
the table". (A week earlier, she had told the _
Washington Post _ that,
although Democrats would not set out to impeach the president, "you
never know where" investigations might lead.)

After becoming Speaker of the House in January 2007, Pelosi held firm
against impeachment, notwithstanding strong support for that course of
action among constituents in her home district. In the November 2008
election, Pelosi withstood a challenge for her seat by anti-war
activist
Cindy SheehanCindy Sheehan , who ran as an independent primarily because
of Pelosi's refusal to pursue impeachment. The "Hundred Hours" Main
article:
100-Hour Plan

Prior to the U.S. 2006 midterm elections , Pelosi announced a plan
for action: If elected, she and the newly empowered Democratic caucus
would push through most of its program during the first hundred hours
of the 110th Congress' term.

On January 5, 2007, reacting to suggestions from President Bush's
confidantes that he would increase troop levels in Iraq (which he
announced in a speech a few days later), Pelosi joined with Senate
Majority Leader
Harry Reid to condemn the plan. They sent Bush a
letter saying, "here is no purely military solution in Iraq. There is
only a political solution. Adding more combat troops will only
endanger more Americans and stretch our military to the breaking point
for no strategic gain. ... Rather than deploy additional forces to
Iraq, we believe the way forward is to begin the phased redeployment
of our forces in the next four to six months, while shifting the
principal mission of our forces there from combat to training,
logistics, force protection and counter-terror." Pelosi and
Barack ObamaBarack Obama shaking hands at the
2008 Democratic National Convention2008 Democratic National Convention

Pelosi was named Permanent Chair of the 2008 Democratic National
Convention in
DenverDenver , Colorado. Health Care Reform

Pelosi has been credited for spearheading President Obama\'s health
care law when it seemed that it would go down in defeat. After
Republican Scott Brown won Democratic
Ted KennedyTed Kennedy 's former senate
seat in the January 2010
MassachusettsMassachusetts special election and thereby
causing the Senate Democrats to lose their filibuster proof majority,
Obama agreed with then chief of staff
Rahm Emanuel 's idea that he
should do smaller initiatives that could pass easily. Pelosi, however,
dismissed the president's fear and instead mocked his scaled-back
ideas as "kiddie care." After convincing the president that this
would be their only shot at health care because of the large
Democratic majorities they currently had, she rallied her Democratic
caucus as she began an "unbelievable marathon" of a two-month session
to craft the health care bill, which successfully passed the House
with a 219-212 vote. In Obama's remarks before signing the bill into
law, he specifically credited Pelosi as being "one of the best
Speakers the House of Representatives has ever had."

Though Pelosi was re-elected by a comfortable margin in the 2010
midterm elections , the Democrats lost 63 seats and ceded control of
the House of Representatives to the Republicans. Despite the electoral
setback suffered by her party, Pelosi sought to continue leading the
House Democratic Caucus in the position of Minority Leader, the office
she held prior to becoming Speaker. After Pelosi's disparate
intra-party opposition failed to pass a motion to delay the leadership
vote, Pelosi was elected
Minority LeaderMinority Leader for the
112th Congress112th Congress . On
November 14, 2012, Pelosi announced she would remain on as Democratic
leader.

Tim Ryan initiated a bid to replace Pelosi as House Minority Leader
on November 17, 2016, prompted by colleagues following the 2016
presidential election . After Pelosi agreed to give more leadership
opportunities to junior members, she defeated Ryan by a vote of
134-63 on November 30.

In 2017, after Democrats lost four consecutive special elections in
the House of Representatives, Pelosi's leadership was again called
into question. On June 22, 2017, a small group of House Democrats held
a closed-door meeting in the office of Representative Kathleen Rice
(NY) to discuss a strategy for selecting new Democratic leadership.
Rice publicly called for new Democratic leadership in the House of
Representatives, as did other House Democrats, including Tim Ryan
(OH),
Seth Moulton (MA), and Filemon Vela (TX).
Cedric Richmond (LA),
Chairman of the Congressional Black Caucas , also attended the
closed-door meeting on Pelosi.

Rice said in a
CNNCNN interview about Pelosi's leadership, "If you were
talking about a company that was posting losing numbers, if you were
talking about any sports team that was losing time and time again,
changes would be made, right? The CEO out. The coach would be out and
there would be a new strategy put in place."

In a press conference, Pelosi responded to the criticism by saying,
"I respect any opinion that my members have but my decision about how
long I stay is not up to them." When asked specifically why she
should stay on as House
Minority LeaderMinority Leader after numerous Democratic
seats were lost, Pelosi responded, "Well, I'm a master legislator. I
am a strategic, politically astute leader. My leadership is recognized
by many around the country, and that is why I'm able to attract the
support that I do."

ALLEGATIONS OF INSIDER TRADING

In November 2011, _
60 Minutes60 Minutes _ alleged that Pelosi and several other
member of Congress had used information they gleaned from closed
sessions to make money on the stock market. The program cited Pelosi's
purchases of Visa stock while a bill that would limit credit card fees
was in the House. Pelosi denied the allegations and called the report
"a right-wing smear." When the Stop Trading on Congressional
Knowledge Act (or
STOCK Act ) was introduced the next year, Pelosi
voted for the bill and lauded its passing. Of Representatives Louise
Slaughter and
Tim Walz , who drafted the bill, Pelosi said they
"shined a light on a gaping hole in our ethics laws and helped close
it once and for all."

POLITICAL POSITIONS

Pelosi was a founding member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus
, but left in 2003 after being elected Minority Leader. Her longtime
friend
Jim McDermott , of
Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C. , told _
Newsweek _ that he
and other left-leaning Democratic congressmen sometimes wish that "she
would tilt a little more our way from time to time". As Speaker,
Pelosi has tried to focus more on economic than social issues.

Although Pelosi voted against the Iraq war, anti-war activists in San
Francisco protested against her voting to continue funding the war. UC
Berkeley political scientist Bruce Cain said that Pelosi had to
balance the demands of her anti-war constituency against the moderate
views of Democrats in tight races around the country in her role as
minority leader. Pelosi has never faced a serious challenger to her
left in her district.

In March 2008, after a meeting with the Dalai Lama , Pelosi
criticized the People's Republic of China for its handling of the
unrest in Tibet and called on "freedom-loving people" worldwide to
denounce China. She was quoted as saying, "The situation in Tibet is
a challenge to the conscience of the world", while addressing a crowd
of thousands of Tibetans in Dharamsala, India.

In October 2008, Pelosi commended the
European ParliamentEuropean Parliament for its
"bold decision" to award the
Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to
Chinese dissident and human rights activist Hu Jia . Pelosi's
statement read, "I call on the Chinese government to immediately and
unconditionally release Hu Jia from prison and to respect the
fundamental freedoms of all the people in China."

COLOMBIA

Pelosi publicly scolded Colombian President
Álvaro Uribe during
Uribe's May 2007 state trip to America. Pelosi met with Uribe and
later released a statement that she and other members of Congress had
"expressed growing concerns about the serious allegations" of links
between Paramilitary groups and Colombian government officials.
Pelosi also came out against the Colombian free trade agreement.
Pelosi and John Kerry at
Estadio Latinoamericano in
HavanaHavana , Cuba,
March 2016

CUBA

In 2008, Pelosi said: "For years, I have opposed the embargo on Cuba
. I don't think it's been successful, and I think we have to remove
the travel bans and have more exchanges -- people to people exchanges
with Cuba." In 2015, Pelosi supported President Obama's
Cuban Thaw ,
a rapprochement between the U.S. and Cuba, and visited
HavanaHavana for
meetings with high-level officials.

In a February 15, 2007, interview, Pelosi noted that Bush
consistently said he supports a diplomatic resolution to differences
with
IranIran "and I take him at his word". At the same time, she said, "I
do believe that Congress should assert itself, though, and make it
very clear that there is no previous authority for the president, any
president, to go into Iran". On January 12, 2007, Congressman Walter
B. Jones of
North CarolinaNorth Carolina introduced a resolution requiring that –
absent a national emergency created by an attack, or a demonstrably
imminent attack, by
IranIran upon the United States or its armed forces
– the President must consult with Congress and receive specific
authorization prior to initiating any use of military force against
Iran. This resolution was removed from a military spending bill for
the war in Iraq by Pelosi on March 13, 2007.

TURKEY

In mid-October 2007, after the House Foreign Affairs Committee passed
a resolution to label the 1915 killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks
as genocide, Pelosi pledged to bring the measure to a vote. The draft
resolution prompted warnings from President Bush and fierce criticism
from Turkey, with Turkey's prime minister saying that approval of the
resolution would endanger U.S.-Turkey relations. After House support
eroded, the measure's sponsors dropped their call for a vote, and in
late October Pelosi agreed to set the matter aside.

USE OF GOVERNMENT AIRCRAFT

In March 2009, the _
New York Post _ wrote that the conservative
watchdog group
Judicial Watch obtained emails sent by Pelosi's staff
that requested that the
United States Air ForceUnited States Air Force (USAF) provide
specific aircraft—a
Boeing 757Boeing 757 —for Pelosi to use for
taxpayer-funded travel. Pelosi responded that the policy was
initiated by President Bush due to post-9/11 security concerns (Pelosi
was third in line for presidential succession ) and was initially
provided for the previous Speaker,
Dennis Hastert . The Sergeant at
Arms requested, for security reasons, that the plane provided be
capable of non-stop flight, requiring a larger aircraft. The Pentagon
said "no one has rendered judgment" that Pelosi's use of aircraft "is
excessive."

She has voted in favor of lifting the ban on privately funded
abortions at U.S. military facilities overseas (HA 209, rejected), in
favor of an amendment that would repeal a provision that forbids
service women and dependents from getting an abortion in overseas
military hospitals (HA 722, rejected), in favor of stripping the
prohibition of funding for organizations working overseas that uses
its own funds to provide abortion services or engage in advocacy
related to abortion services (HA 997, rejected). She also voted in
favor of the 1998 Abortion Funding Amendment, which would have allowed
the use of district funds to promote abortion-related activities, but
would have prohibited the use of federal funds.

Pelosi stands in favor of increased background checks for potential
gun owners, as well as the controversial banning of assault weapons .
In February 2013, she called for the "Boldest possible move" on gun
control, similar to a stance made just weeks earlier by former
Representative, mass shooting victim and fellow gun control advocate,
Gabrielle Giffords . In 2012, she was given 0% ratings by both the
National Rifle Association and
Gun Owners of America for her stances
on gun control.

In a February, 2013, interview with
Fox NewsFox News , Pelosi misstated that
gun ownership was protected by the
First Amendment of the United
States Constitution . The
First Amendment addresses freedom of
speech and the press, and it is the Second Amendment that addresses
gun ownership .

FISCAL/MONETARY POLICY

Pelosi voted against the 1995 Balanced Budget Proposed Constitutional
Amendment , which was passed by the House by a 300–132 vote, but in
the Senate fell two votes short of the 2/3 supermajority required
(with 65 out of 100 Senators voting in favor).

As Speaker of the House, she also spearheaded the Fair Minimum Wage
Act of 2007 as part of the
100-Hour Plan . The Act raises the minimum
wage in the United States and the territories of the Northern Marianas
Islands and
American SamoaAmerican Samoa .
American SamoaAmerican Samoa was initially absent from
the act, but as part of
HR 2206 it was included. One Republican
congressman who voted against the initial bill accused Pelosi of
unethically benefiting
Del Monte Foods (headquartered in her district)
by the exclusion of the territory, where Del Monte's StarKist Tuna
brand is a major employer. Pelosi co-sponsored legislation that
omitted
American SamoaAmerican Samoa from a raise in the minimum wage as early as
1999, prior to Del Monte's acquisition of
StarKist Tuna in 2002. As
of the 2002, 2004, and 2006 election cycles, Del Monte has not
contributed to Democratic candidates.

Pelosi opposed the welfare reform proposed by President Bush as well
as reforms proposed and passed under President Clinton.

In a January 25, 2009, interview with
George Stephanopoulos for ABC
News , Pelosi said, "Well, the family planning services reduce cost.
They reduce cost. The states are in terrible fiscal budget crises now
and part of what we do for children's health, education and some of
those elements are to help the states meet their financial needs. One
of those – one of the initiatives you mentioned, the contraception,
will reduce costs to the states and to the federal government."

EDUCATION

In 1999, Pelosi voted against the Ten Commandments being displayed in
public buildings, including schools Pelosi voted for the No Child
Left Behind Act , which instituted testing to track students' progress
and authorized an increase in overall education spending.

Pelosi has supported the development of new technologies to reduce
U.S. dependence upon foreign oil and remediate the adverse
environmental effects of burning fossil fuels. Pelosi has widely
supported conservation programs and energy research appropriations.
She has also voted to remove an amendment that would allow for oil and
gas exploration in the
Arctic National Wildlife RefugeArctic National Wildlife Refuge .

Pelosi has blocked efforts to revive offshore oil drilling in
protected areas, reasoning that offshore drilling could lead to an
increase in dependence on fossil fuels.

HEALTH CARE

Speaker Pelosi was instrumental in the passage of the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. Pelosi was a key figure in
convincing President
Barack ObamaBarack Obama to continue pushing for health care
reform after the election of
MassachusettsMassachusetts Sen. Scott Brown in a
January special election , a defeat that was seen as potentially fatal
to Democratic reform efforts. After delivering 219 votes in the House
for Obama's signature health care package, Pelosi was both praised and
heckled as she made her way to Capitol Hill.

In 2002, Pelosi opposed the
Iraq Resolution authorizing President
Bush to use military force against Iraq, while stating that Iraq,
like "other countries of concern", had WMDs. In explaining her
opposition to the resolution, Pelosi noted that Central Intelligence
Agency Director
George Tenet had told Congress that the likelihood of
Iraq's
Saddam HusseinSaddam Hussein launching an attack on the U.S. using weapons of
mass destruction was low. "This is about the Constitution", Pelosi
said. "It is about this Congress asserting its right to declare war
when we are fully aware what the challenges are to us. It is about
respecting the United Nations and a multilateral approach, which is
safer for our troops." Despite Pelosi's opposition, Congress still
passed a resolution authorizing President Bush to use the Armed Forces
of the United States against Iraq.

ISRAEL

Pelosi reaffirms that "America and
IsraelIsrael share an unbreakable bond:
in peace and war; and in prosperity and in hardship". Pelosi
emphasized that "a strong relationship between the United States and
IsraelIsrael has long been supported by both Democrats and Republicans.
America's commitment to the safety and security of the State of Israel
is unwavering,...owever, the war in Iraq has made both America and
IsraelIsrael less safe." Pelosi's voting record shows consistent support for
Israel. Prior to 2006 elections in the Palestinian Authority, she
voted for a Congressional initiative disapproving of participation in
the elections by
Hamas and other organizations defined as terrorist by
the legislation. She agrees with the current U.S. stance in support of
land-for-peace. She has applauded Israeli "hopeful signs" of offering
land, while criticizing Palestinian "threats" of not demonstrating
peace in turn. She states, "If the Palestinians agree to coordinate
with
IsraelIsrael on the evacuation, establish the rule of law, and
demonstrate a capacity to govern, the world may be convinced that
finally there is a real partner for peace".

During the
2006 Lebanon War2006 Lebanon War , Pelosi voted in favor of Resolution 921
on the count that "the seizure of Israeli soldiers by Hezbollah
terrorists was an unprovoked attack and
IsraelIsrael has the right, and
indeed the obligation, to respond". She argues that organizations and
political bodies in the Mideast like
Hamas and
Hezbollah "have a
greater interest in maintaining a state of hostility with
IsraelIsrael than
in improving the lives of the people they claim to represent". Pelosi
asserts that civilians on both sides of the border "have been put at
risk by the aggression of
Hamas and Hezbollah" in part for their use
of "civilians as shields by concealing weapons in civilian areas".

In September 2008, Pelosi hosted a reception in Washington with
Israeli
KnessetKnesset speaker
Dalia Itzik , along with 20 members of
Congress, where they toasted the "strong friendship" between Israel
and the United States. During the ceremony, Pelosi held up the replica
dog tags of the three Israeli soldiers captured by
Hezbollah and Hamas
in 2006 and stated that she keeps them as a "symbol of the sacrifices
made, sacrifices far too great by the people of the state of Israel".

Pelosi received a 100% rating from the
Human Rights CampaignHuman Rights Campaign for the
107th , 108th , and 109th sessions of Congress , indicating that she
voted in agreement with HRC's slate of pro-gay legislative issues. In
1996 she voted against the
Defense of Marriage Act , and in 2004 and
2006, she voted against the proposed
Federal Marriage Amendment ,
which would amend the
United States Constitution to define marriage
federally as being between one man and one woman, thereby overriding
states' individual rights to legalize gay marriage . When the
Supreme Court of
CaliforniaCalifornia overturned the state\'s ban on same-sex
marriage , Pelosi released a statement welcoming the "historic
decision." She voiced her opposition to Proposition 8 , the successful
ballot initiative , which defined marriage in
CaliforniaCalifornia as a union
between one man and one woman. Pelosi states that her Catholic faith
is behind her position on LGBT rights such as same-sex marriage: "My
religion compels me—and I love it for it—to be against
discrimination of any kind in our country, and I consider a form of
discrimination. I think it’s unconstitutional on top of that."

MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION

Pelosi supports reform in marijuana laws , although
NORML 's deputy
director Paul Armentano said that she and other members of Congress
hadn't done anything to change the laws. She also supports use of
medical marijuana .

In regard to Representative
Charles Rangel 's (D-NY) plan to
introduce legislation that would reinstate the draft, Pelosi stated
that she did not support such legislation.

NSA SPYING/PRISM PROGRAM

Pelosi supports the Bush/Obama NSA spying program called PRISM . On
June 22, 2013 she was booed at
Netroots Nation for saying Edward
Snowden was a criminal. Pelosi meeting with Russian President
Dmitry Medvedev , Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey
Kislyak , June 2010

SYRIA

Pelosi supports the
Syria Accountability Act and
IranIran Freedom and
Support Act . In a speech at the AIPAC 2005 annual conference, Pelosi
said that "for too long, leaders from both parties haven't done
enough" to put pressure on
RussiaRussia and China who are providing Iran
with technological information on nuclear issues and missiles. "If
evidence of participation by other nations in Iran's nuclear program
is discovered, I will insist that the Administration use, rather than
ignore, the evidence in determining how the U.S. deals with that
nation or nations on other issues." In April 2007, she visited
DamascusDamascus and stated there "the road to
DamascusDamascus is a road to peace."

WATERBOARDING

Pelosi has stated that she now opposes the interrogation technique of
waterboarding .

According to the CIA, while Pelosi was the ranking member of the
House Intelligence Committee , she was briefed on the ongoing use of
so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques ", including
waterboarding authorized for a captured terrorist, Abu Zubaydah, in
one hour-long briefing in 2002. After the briefing, Pelosi said she
"was assured by lawyers with the CIA and the Department of Justice
that the methods were legal." Two unnamed former Bush Administration
officials say that the briefing was detailed and graphic, and at the
time she didn't raise substantial objections. One unnamed U.S.
official present during the early briefings said, "In fairness, the
environment was different then because we were closer to September 11
and people were still in a panic. But there was no objecting, no
hand-wringing. The attitude was, 'We don't care what you do to those
guys as long as you get the information you need to protect the
American people.' "

However, several top Democratic lawmakers in the House signed a
letter on June 26, 2009, alleging that CIA Director
Leon PanettaLeon Panetta had
asserted that the CIA misled Congress for a "number of years" spanning
back to 2001, casting clouds on the controversy. Neither letter,
lawmakers or the CIA provided details and the circumstances
surrounding the allegations make it hard to assess the claims and
counterclaims of both sides.

Officials in Congress say her ability to challenge the practices may
have been hampered by strict rules of secrecy that prohibited her from
being able to take notes or consult legal experts or members of her
own staffs. In an April 2009 press conference, Pelosi stated, "In
that or any other briefing...we were not, and I repeat, were not told
that waterboarding or any of these other enhanced interrogation
techniques were used. What they did tell us is that they had some
legislative counsel – the Office of Legislative Counsel opinions
that they could be used, but not that they would. And they further –
further, the point was that if and when they would be used, they would
brief Congress at that time" Pelosi's office stated that she later
protested the technique and that she concurred with objections raised
by Democratic colleague
Jane Harman in a letter to the CIA in early
2003.

Pelosi's only close race so far has been the special election to
succeed Sala Burton's seat after her death in February 1987. In the
special election's Democratic primary, Pelosi narrowly defeated San
Francisco Supervisor
Harry Britt , considered the more "progressive"
candidate, with 36 percent of the vote to his 32 percent. In the
runoff against Republican candidate Harriet Ross, Pelosi received more
than a 2-to-1 majority of votes cast in a turnout that comprised about
24% of eligible voters. Since then, Pelosi has enjoyed overwhelming
support in her political career, collecting 76 and 77 percent of the
vote in California\'s 5th congressional district for the 1988 and 1990
Race for U.S. House of Representatives. In 1992, after the
redistricting from the 1990 Census , Pelosi ran in California\'s 8th
congressional district , which now covered the
San FranciscoSan Francisco area. She
has continued to post landslide victories since, dropping beneath 80
percent of the vote only twice.

PERSONAL BACKGROUND

FAMILY

Her husband, since 1963, is
Paul Pelosi . They have five children:
Nancy Corinne, Christine , Jacqueline, Paul , and Alexandra , as well
as eight grandchildren. Alexandra, a journalist, covered the
Republican presidential campaigns in 2000 and made a film about the
experience, _
Journeys with George _. In 2007, Christine published a
book, _Campaign Boot Camp: Basic Training for Future Leaders_.

Pelosi lives in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco.

FINANCIAL STATUS

While members of Congress are not required to disclose their exact
net worth, organizations such as the nonpartisan Center for Responsive
Politics (_CRP_) prepare estimated ranges based on public disclosures.
In 2014, _CRP_ reported Pelosi's average net worth in 2014 was
$101,273,023 having ranked 8th out of 25 wealthiest members of
Congress. In 2009, _CRP_ reported Pelosi's average net worth was
$58,436,537 having ranked 13th among 25 wealthiest members of Congress

_Roll Call's Wealth of Congress Index_ reported that Pelosi's net
worth was $29.35 million and having ranked 15th out of 50 wealthiest
members of Congress for 2014. According to _Roll Call_, Pelosi and
her husband, Paul, hold properties "worth at least $14.65 million,
including a St. Helena vineyard in Napa Valley worth at least $5
million, and commercial real estate in San Francisco." _Roll Call_
said Pelosi's earnings are connected to her husband's heavy
investments in stocks including "Apple, Comcast, Facebook, Shutterfly
and Walt Disney." Roll Call reported that the Pelosi's have $13.46
million in liabilities including mortgages on seven properties.

_Business Insider_ reported that Pelosi's worth was $26.4 million in
2012 and was 13th among the 15 richest members of Congress.

INVOLVEMENT IN ITALIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY

Pelosi is a board member of the National Organization of Italian
American Women . Additionally, Pelosi served for 13 years as a board
member of the
National Italian American Foundation (NIAF). In 2007,
she received the NIAF
SpecialSpecial Achievement Award for Public Advocacy
and continues to be involved in the Foundation today.